Page 51 - All About History - Issue 186-19

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The Women ho de Prohibition

The Saloon Must Go, which included the lines
‘’I stand for prohibition, the utter demolition of all
this curse of misery and woe’’ became familiar in
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This sexxtet of single-minded campaigners changedd Ammerican society forever
communities across America as the WCTU grew
rapidly. By 1900 there were over 150,000 signed-
up paying members of the organisation in the US.
That people power was also used to gather
thousands of signatures, both male and female,
for petitions lobbying politicians at local, state and
national levels to bring in Prohibition. The second
president of the WCTU, Frances Willard, used her
considerable energy to spread the organisation’s
messages personally. In 1883 she and her
secretary, Anna Gordon, visited every city in the
US with a population of more than 10,000 to try RANCES W LAR ANNA ADAMS GORDO
and increase support for the organisation and its
campaign against alcohol. Well-educated aand ambitious, Frannces President of the WCTU when Prrohibbition
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There were ongoing peaceful protests outside Willard soon saw an opportunity for came in, Anna Adams Gordon waas right-
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bars and saloons but as the movement grew in wide-spread sociall reform campaigning in hand woman to Willard for decaddes. She
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numbers and influence, agitation took on different the WCTU. She told her followers to “do was well known for her artistic skills,
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forms. WCTU members encouraged the giving of everything” and was famous for her eneergy, writing many of the songs and poeems that
white ribbons to newborn babies, who would have travelling tens of thouusands of miles eveery were used to educate children againnst tthe
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a special prayer said over them, making them part year to campaign for prohibition. dangers of drink.
Female Prohibition campaigners were
sometimes depicted as crusaders,
an image some leading temperance
advocates encouraged

ILLIAN M N STEVEN ATILDA CARS

She had already succeedded in helping Founder of the publishing arm that
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have prohibition inserted into the Maine gave the WCTU such PR scope, Matilda
Constitution when she was elected as Carse oversaw the establishment of
President of the WCTU in 1898. She wass a company that was to be run and
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credited with helping create the formidaable owned only by women. Carse also sset
administration of the organization that t up the organisation’s headquarterss, thhe
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helped it hold such influence in US socciety. Temperance Temple, in Chicago.
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ARRIE NATIO ANNIE WITTENM E

One of the moost famous prohibition A well-respected and noted social l
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campaigneers was aalso one of the most campaigner, Wiitttenmmyer became the first
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controvversial. Affter a string of personal President of thhe WTCU but moovved on after
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problems, Nation made it her mission to four years in the role. She latter worked on
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b ban boozze and set about it with a hatchet, campaigns for war widows and nurses.
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which she used to smash up bars. She
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3x © Getty Images became a celebrity but her behaviour
soon became so extreme she ended up
in a mental institution.
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